Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry and Democratic challenger Tate MacQueen will hold their first and only local debate Oct. 27 at UNC Asheville.
They’re vying to represent District 10 in the U.S. House, which includes most of Asheville and stretches southeast to the Charlotte suburbs. The district leans conservative, and in 2012, McHenry beat Democratic candidate Patsy Keever by 57 percent overall despite losing to her in Buncombe County.
At only 39 years-old, McHenry is already one of the most powerful members of Congress. Elected for the first time in 2004, he serves on the House Financial Services Committee and earlier this year was appointed the Republican majority’s Chief Deputy Whip. He’s also been leading the National Republican Congressional Committee’s recrecruitment and outreach efforts in this year’s election cycle.
MacQueen has lived in Buncombe County taught in local schools for the last 10 years. He currently teaches Social Studies and coaches soccer at Charles D. Owen High School. In that time he’s also become an outspoken leader in the neighborhood push to clean up contamination leftover from the CTS Corporation’s former plant in Arden. This is his first time running for elected office.
The two candidates recently participated in a debate in Charlotte that was televised by Time Warner Cable News. Watch a video of that debate here.
Their Oct. 27 debate at UNC Asheville’s Sherrill Center is being organized by the Council of Independent Business Owners. It begins at noon. The cost of $10 includes lunch catered by Chick-fil-A.
This is a first class debate. MacQueen beats McHenry as someone with no experience as an elected official. Being a history teacher and former newspaper editor helps; also in terms of taking the CTS case to the US Supreme Court.